Daybreak was approaching. The skies were fading from a deep black to a much lighter hue, causing the stars to blink weakly until they eventually disappeared.

Soon, the sun would rise from the horizon and cast its rays on the lands, signaling the beginning of a new day.

Evan stood at the balcony, watching his people leave the city in an organized manner.

The evacuation was almost over. The once-busy streets were now like a ghost town, not including the soldiers who were running back and forth, checking if there were any citizens left. He could still see the lanterns and decorations all around as well as the food and game booths.

All deserted.

"Ardyn..." he murmured as he tried to find the man among the last of the crowd near the exit. Of course, he wouldn't be able to make out a figure, as they were too far away for him to see clearly, and it had been hours since the man had left, but he figured there was nothing wrong with trying.

"Are you worried about him?"

Evan turned around to see Elyana's concerned face as she approached him tentatively.

With a smile, he held out his hand, and she took it gently. He led her to stand beside him by the railing, watching as the rest of the crowd was now out of the gates.

"I am worried, but I believe that he'll do just fine," he confessed. "I'm sure he'll be able to find his purpose very soon."

Elyana studied him for a moment. "You seem to have placed a lot of faith in him," she remarked. "Though I can see why. Despite his sad appearance, he has potential."

"So you can see it too, huh," Evan said, and he sounded a little pleased. "I knew that I had a good eye for people. I'm pretty great, aren't I?"

Elyana shoved him playfully on the shoulder. "There you go again with your bragging," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

"I can't help it. I'm just praising it like it is," he said smugly, knowing very well that she would get annoyed by this.

True to his expectations, she slapped him lightly on the back, scrunching her nose adorably. "Stop that. I just came here to fetch you. His Majesty requires your presence."

"Ah. Are he and Mother ready to evacuate?"

Elyana nodded. "They… wish to say their goodbyes," she said softly.

"All right." Evan smiled and let her lead him out of the room.

Time was passing quite fast. No matter how much he tried not to think about it, it was inevitable.

He just hoped that after all this, there would be no casualties. It would be heartbreaking to lose a life during the battle, but the risks were too high.

They had been taught at a young age that people like them — the Summoners and the Guardians — should always be ready for death at any time during the Calamity's reign of terror.

Evan sighed internally. He never thought that he would be meeting that monster again after three years. He thought that he still had more time before they faced each other again.

The King and Queen had already sent out warnings and missives to every kingdom, but it would take some time for them to respond.

First, they would prioritize their own people. Second, they would assess the situation and strategize. Third, they would assemble whatever army they had. Finally, they would send out their Summoners, but even that would take too much time. Distance and transportation were big factors, for example. Also, they were scattered far and wide, making it difficult to gather them quickly without prior warning.

There was also the matter of tracking down the Calamity. The process would usually take several weeks to months, and it wasn't easy. The main point was that there were many factors involved, especially in a sudden case like this with unprecedented events.

In the past sealing attempts, Summoners all around the world were gathered just around the time when the seal would expire. That way, there would be a greater chance of immobilizing the monster before it could take any more lives.

When initiating the sealing process, it wasn't a guaranteed success. There were chances that it would fail. That was why the entire world, especially the major kingdoms, had an official copy of the list of Summoners with all the contact details so that they could save time trying to locate each one.

I'm going to be the first Summoner to confront the monster the moment it reappears, Evan thought. It'll be up to me and the others to deal with it until reinforcements arrive.

If I ever fail in the sealing process, my priority is to buy time. Just enough time for more Summoners to take their chance before the monster expends too much energy and runs off to regenerate.

Evan sighed internally.

The last time he had seen the Calamity with his own eyes was three years ago.

He had expected to encounter the colossal creature five years from now, but it seemed that things changed. They all had no choice but to accept the changes and make the best of the situation.

This time, he was the Summoner who would become the people's hope. He couldn't let them down.

As they neared the stairs leading down to the castle hall, Evan glanced at the knights guarding each door and recalled something important.

"Have you told the men to ready the cannons?" he asked, thinking about how they could salvage the city's remains after the Calamity's eventual destruction.

Elyana nodded. "But what of the barriers? Shall I check if the magic wards are in place?"

"Those, too. But we cannot make use of the barriers. We won't be able to keep the Calamity in place with our magic. Instead, let them activate the magic wards to fortify the castle and the entire town. The important thing is to prevent too much destruction. Since we've finished with the evacuation, we don't need to worry about thousands of casualties."

"Understood, Your Highness."

Evan took a deep breath.

"The sun is slowly rising. Make sure that every single soul has been evacuated, and we will later begin the initial sealing process outside."